Methods and systems for irrigation control

ABSTRACT

A wireless system is provided for monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and/or controlling irrigation or climate control systems at an agricultural or landscape site. In some embodiments, the wireless system includes at least one wireless nodes for monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and/or for controlling one or more irrigation or climate control systems at the site. The wireless system also includes a server computer system located remotely from the site. The server computer system is coupled to the node/s over a communications network for receiving data from and controlling operation of the node/s. The server computer system is also coupled to a device operated by an end-user over a communications network for transmitting the data to and receiving remote control commands or queries from the end-user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/466,469, filed on Aug. 22, 2014, entitled Methods And Systems ForIrrigation Control, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,241,451, which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/844,248, filed on Mar. 15, 2013,entitled Methods And Systems For Irrigation Control, now U.S. Pat. No.8,849,461, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/849,488, filed on Aug. 3, 2010, entitled Methods And SystemsFor Irrigation Control, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,649,907, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/537,772,filed on Aug. 7, 2009, entitled Method And System For Remote WirelessMonitoring And Control Of Climate In Greenhouses, which has beenabandoned, and which claims priority to Turkish Patent Application No.2008/05998, filed on Aug. 12, 2008, entitled REMOTE WIRELESS CLIMATEMONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEM FOR GREENHOUSES, and to Turkish PatentApplication No. 2009/00883, filed on Feb. 5, 2009, entitled, REMOTEWIRELESS CLIMATE MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEM FOR GREENHOUSES, all ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to methods and systems formonitoring and controlling irrigation and climate conditions inlandscapes (such as, e.g., municipal parks, gardens, and sports fields)and agricultural environments (such as, e.g., open agricultural fields,greenhouses, and other sites growing crops).

Irrigation systems supply water to soil. They are primarily used toassist in the growing of agricultural crops and maintenance oflandscapes. Irrigation systems typically include valves, controllers,pipes, and emitters such as sprinklers or drip tapes. Irrigation systemscan be divided into zones because there is usually not enough pressureand available flow to run sprinklers or other water emitting components(e.g. drip tapes) for an entire yard, sports field, or other irrigationsite at once. Each zone has a solenoid valve that is controlled via atypically wired connection by an irrigation controller. The irrigationcontroller is either a mechanical or electrical device that signals azone to turn on at a specific time and keeps it on for a specifiedamount of time or until it gets turned off manually.

Branch pipes in each zone are fed by a main line or common supply pipe.Valves are either controlled manually by a person or electronically by asolenoid that is connected to a controller. In existing systems,controllers are typically wired to the solenoid valves and theenergy/power to actuate them is provided through wires. Controllers candecide to turn on/off valves based on schedules, weather information,and/or sensor readings. Water can be pumped into the main line from awell source or a city supply.

A “smart controller” is a controller that is capable of adjusting thewatering time by itself in response to current environmental conditions.Smart controllers determine current conditions using historic weatherdata for the local area, soil moisture sensors (water potential or watercontent), weather stations, or a combination of these.

Weather based smart controllers for irrigation can provide theappropriate watering schedule, adjust for weather changes, and irrigatebased on the needs of the field and/or landscape. A smart controllerwill automatically reduce the watering times or frequency as the weathergets cooler and less water is needed. Then, as the weather begins towarm up, the controller will add more watering time or increase thewatering frequency.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the rate of water loss from the field orother irrigation site. It is nature's process for transferring moistureto the atmosphere by the evaporation of water from the soil andtranspiration of water from plant surfaces. ET measurements can be usedfor determining crop irrigation needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A wireless system is provided in accordance with one or more embodimentsfor monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and/orcontrolling irrigation or climate control systems at an agricultural orlandscape site. In some embodiments, the wireless system includes atleast one control and/or sensor node or other control and/or sensordevice, controller or element a wireless sensor network including aplurality of sensor nodes for monitoring environmental, soil, or climateconditions and controlling one or more irrigation or climate controlsystems at the site. In some embodiments, the wireless system includes awireless sensor network including a plurality of nodes that monitor theenvironmental, soil, or climate conditions and/or control one or moreirrigation or climate control systems at the site. The wireless systemalso includes a server computer system located remotely from the site.The server computer system is coupled to the wireless network over acommunications network for receiving data from and controlling operationof the node/s. The server computer system is also coupled to a deviceoperated by an end-user over a communications network for transmittingthe data to and receiving remote control commands or queries from theend-user. Users can remotely access and/or control irrigation or climatecontrol systems at one or more agricultural or landscape sites for whichthe users have authorization or access to do so.

A method is provided in accordance with one or more embodiments ofcontrolling irrigation or climate control systems at an agricultural orlandscape site. The method includes communicating with a wirelessnetwork installed at the site over a communications network. Thewireless network comprises at least one node for monitoringenvironmental, soil, or climate conditions and controlling one or moreirrigation or climate control systems at the site. Communicating withthe wireless network comprises receiving data from and controllingoperation of the at least one node. The method further includescommunicating with a device operated by an end-user over acommunications network for transmitting the data to and receiving remotecontrol commands or queries from the end-user.

In one embodiment, a system for controlling irrigation control systemsat a plurality of agricultural or landscape sites, comprises: at leastone wireless node at each of the plurality of sites; and a servercomputer system located remotely from the plurality of sites, saidserver computer system communicationally coupled to each of the at leastone wireless node over a communications network for receiving data fromand controlling operation of the at least one wireless node at each ofthe plurality of sites, said server computer system also selectivelycoupled to a plurality of devices each operated by one of a plurality ofend-users over a communications network for transmitting the data to andreceiving remote control commands or queries from the plurality ofend-users; wherein the data transmitted to a given end-user correspondsto the site for which the given end-user has authorization; at least onegateway, at a location of each of the plurality of sites, fortransferring the data between the at least one wireless node and theserver computer system; wherein the server computer system transfers anirrigation schedule to the at least one wireless node of each of theplurality of sites for storage and execution at each of the plurality ofsites; wherein the at least one wireless node at each of the pluralityof sites is configured to compare received sensor measurements againstat least one user-entered control condition, and control the irrigationaccordingly, wherein the at least one user-entered control condition isdefined at the server computer system by the end-user using a respectivedevice and is transferred from the server computer system to the atleast one wireless node and stored in an internal memory of the at leastone wireless node.

In another embodiment, a method of controlling irrigation controlsystems at a plurality of agricultural or landscape sites, comprises:communicating, using a server computer system, with at least onewireless node installed at each of the plurality of sites over acommunications network, said at least one wireless node configured tocontrol one or more irrigation control systems at the site, whereincommunicating with the at least wireless node comprises receiving datafrom and controlling operation of the at least one wireless node usingat least one gateway, at a location of each of the plurality of sites,the at least one gateway for transferring the data between the at leastone wireless node and the server computer system; transferring anirrigation schedule to at least one wireless node of each of theplurality of sites for storage at and execution at each of the pluralityof sites; communicating with a plurality of devices, each deviceoperated by one of a plurality of end-users over a communicationsnetwork for transmitting the data to and receiving remote controlcommands or queries from the plurality of end-users, wherein the datatransmitted to a given end-user corresponds to the site for which thegiven end-user has authorization; and comparing, by at least onewireless node at each of the plurality of sites, received sensormeasurements against at least one user-entered control condition, andcontrolling the one or more irrigation control systems accordingly,wherein the at least one user-entered control condition is defined atthe server computer system by the end-user using a respective device andis transferred from the server computer system to the at least onewireless node.

In a further embodiment, a method of irrigation control comprises:determining a new irrigation schedule or a schedule adjustment to anexisting irrigation schedule based at least on weather data; andproviding the new irrigation schedule or the schedule adjustment to auser as a recommendation for change rather than automaticallyimplementing the new irrigation schedule or the schedule adjustment.

Various embodiments are provided in the following detailed description.As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and differentembodiments, and its several details may be capable of modifications invarious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly,the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative innature and not in a restrictive or limiting sense, with the scope of theapplication being indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a remote wireless monitoringand control system in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless sensor network inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a data collection and alarm messagetransfer process flow in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a data query process in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control condition disseminationprocess in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control mechanism execution processin accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system hierarchy of an exemplaryirrigation system illustrating the relationship within and between theorganizational structure and field equipment in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an irrigation scheduling andoptimization process in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an irrigation schedule disseminationprocess in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an irrigation scheduling executionprocess in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a remote wireless monitoringand control system in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating another remote wirelessmonitoring and control system in accordance with one or more embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a clock synchronization processbetween a remote server and a local device at a given site in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a clock synchronization processbetween local devices at a site in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a schedule adjustment recommendationprocess in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a wireless monitoring and/orcontrol system is provided for irrigation and climate management forlandscapes and agricultural environments. In some embodiments, thesystem includes one or more devices or nodes at each site for monitoringenvironmental, soil, or climate conditions and/or for controlling one ormore irrigation or climate control systems at the site. In someembodiments the system includes a wireless sensor network comprising aplurality of sensor and/or control nodes for monitoring environmental,climate, and soil conditions and/or controlling one or more climatecontrol systems and/or irrigation valves and pumps. The system alsoincludes a server computer system located remotely from the irrigationsite. The server computer system is coupled to the wireless network overa communications network for receiving data from and controllingoperation of at least one node. The server computer system is alsocoupled to a device such as a cell phone or a personal computer operatedby an end-user over a communications network for transmitting the datato and receiving remote control commands or queries from the end-uservia a user interface provided to the user at the device. A userinterface may be provided by the server (e.g., through transmittedHTML), or may be provided by dedicated software installed and executedon the end-user device.

An irrigation control system in accordance with one or more embodimentscan include one or more of the following components:

-   -   a. Field hardware        -   i. Sensors such as soil moisture probes, water flow meters,            water pressure gauges, and ambient temperature and humidity            probes        -   ii. Devices such as water valves and pump motor control            relays        -   iii. Wireless sensor nodes that make up the wireless sensor            network        -   iv. Wireless special function nodes such as meteorology            station nodes and well control node        -   v. Wireless gateway that connects field equipment to a            computer server        -   vi. Wireless control nodes that include functionality to            respond to remote controls and/or store and execute a            partial or full irrigation schedule        -   vii. Nodes with combinations of one or more of the above            functions    -   b. Wireless sensor network firmware that runs on nodes    -   c. Computer server located remotely from the irrigation/climate        control site    -   d. Application running on an end-user device (e.g., a cell        phone, tablet or computer application) for communicating with        the computer server    -   e. Web-based application running on the computer server for user        interaction and data access        It is understood that this is not intended to be an exhaustive        listing of all possible hardware and/or firmware, software,        etc., as such will be implementation dependent.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a method ofmonitoring and/or controlling irrigation and/or climate conditions inlandscapes and agricultural environments is provided. In someembodiments, the method includes communicating with a wireless networkinstalled in the irrigation/climate control site over a communicationsnetwork. The wireless network comprises at least one sensor node and/orat least one control node and/or at least one sensor and control nodefor monitoring environmental, climate and soil conditions in the siteand/or controlling one or more climate and/or irrigation control systemssuch as solenoid valves and pumps. It is understood that as usedthroughout this specification, a sensor node may not necessarily be asensor only node, i.e., a sensor node may include some controlfunctionality, and thus, at least in part be considered a sensor nodeand a control node. Communicating with the wireless network comprisesreceiving data from and controlling operation of the nodes. The methodalso includes a step of communicating with a device such as a cell phoneor a personal computer operated by an end-user over a communicationsnetwork for transmitting the data to and receiving remote controlcommands or queries from the end-user.

The organizational hierarchy of an irrigation system in accordance withone or more embodiments can have multiple levels. For example it can befour levels deep as shown in the exemplary system of FIG. 7. In smallersites, partitioning to master zones may not be required. A site may behandled by one or more gateway nodes. A zone is handled by one or moresensor nodes. If there is a need to connect sensors or devices to amaster zone, such as a master zone water valve, then a sensor node isused for this master zone. Special nodes, such as a meteorology station,can serve all nodes of the whole site. Sensors and devices are generallyconnected to the sensor nodes. However, if needed, additional sensorsand devices may also be connected to the gateway node if required.

To compute the irrigation requirements for plants at a given irrigationsite (e.g., field or landscape), daily ET data gathered from onsitewireless sensor nodes and/or from a weather station at or close to thesite can be used in combination with information entered by end-usersinto the website about crops and other plants. Using these inputs, thesystem can compute an accurate watering schedule for each zone at theirrigation site and adjust or update each zone's schedule as needed on adaily basis. The wireless sensor nodes controlling the irrigation valvescan get the updated schedule from the server.

The system compares the ET measurements with the soil moisture readings(e.g., water volumetric content or water potential) taken from wirelesssensor nodes. If the difference is greater than a given threshold valuedefined by the end user, the system adjusts the schedule based on soilmoisture probe readings.

In addition, the system can collect actual irrigation informationthrough flow meters or sensors attached to wireless sensor nodes. Inthis way, the system can compare what is scheduled versus what wasactually applied. There may be a difference if the valves are controlledmanually and/or if there are problems or leaks in the irrigation system(e.g., in the pipes, valves etc.). Based on the actual irrigationamounts, the system can adjust the irrigation schedule going forward,e.g., for the following 7 days.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the system integrates publicweather forecast information. The server checks for the rain forecastand decides whether or not to delay an upcoming irrigation event basedon the amount of expected rain, the likelihood of rain event, andcalculated and/or measured plant needs.

The system in accordance with one or more embodiments offers anon-demand irrigation capability. Soil moisture as well as ETcalculations may be used to schedule irrigation. Those calculations maybe used to determine a schedule. A system that solely depends on soilmoisture readings and controls irrigation based on two thresholds tostart and stop at would be considered an on-demand irrigation.

When on-demand irrigation is followed, irrigation control decisions aremade by nodes intelligently, and not by the server. In this way, latencyin receiving commands from server is eliminated (except when user sendsmanual commands). In addition, there is no need for delegated irrigationprograms running on the server because the schedule and/or controlcondition is always on the node and the node decides based on thisinformation.

When an on-demand irrigation technique is used, the server is used as ameans of interfacing with the network and manages two way datacommunication. Rules/conditions are stored on devices for execution andserver for redundancy.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, operationof any valve in the system may be overridden by a manual command.Independent of the state of the valve according to the current scheduledirrigation program, it may be forced to turn on or turn off. A valvewill stay in this manual override position irrespective of the statusthat is demanded by the irrigation program for that time of day. Amanually issued “resume” command will return control of that valve backto the irrigation program where the valve will be set to the position asscheduled there.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, if a manual command is sentto node to turn a valve on or off, the node sends an acknowledgment tothe server about execution and stores the unique ID associated with thecontrol command. If the server does not receive the acknowledgement, itwill retry to send the command with the same unique ID. When the nodereceives it the second time, it will not execute the command butre-acknowledge prior execution of the command to the server.

In one or more embodiments, an emergency override command is availableto turn off all the valves in the system. This command may be issuedduring emergency conditions such as, e.g., an earthquake. After anemergency stop, individual valves may be manually turned on or off orresumed at will. An emergency resume command is also available wherecontrol of all valves are returned back to the current irrigationprogram.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the server performs periodichealth checks to see if all nodes are available and alerts users ortries to overcome the problem (such as soft reboot on root/node etc.).

A wireless climate monitoring and control system in accordance with oneor more embodiments provides significantly improved scalability andreliability because information is transferred from sensor node to nodeand then to a remote central server computer system, and the wirelesssensor network can reconfigure itself dynamically.

Furthermore, in a system in accordance with one or more embodiments,wireless sensor networks are used to collect climate and soil data andto control the irrigation. This system offers numerous advantagesincluding wireless installation, flexibility, and scalability. Sinceadditional sensor units can be easily and cost effectively implemented,it is possible to provide a large number of sensor nodes at a site.Having a greater number of sensor nodes helps provide a betterunderstanding of micro-climates as well as soil moisture status, whichcan vary significantly in a field due to natural variability in thesoil. The system in some embodiments accordingly provides improvedaccuracy on measurements, making micro-climate management possible. Dueto micro-climatization, growth of small plant groups can be monitoredand surrounding conditions can be adjusted accordingly.

In addition, multiple irrigation zones can be irrigated independentlybased on the sensor readings in the respective zone. Typically, as theremay not be enough pressure on the main line, separate irrigation zoneswill not be irrigated at the same time. The system in accordance withone or more embodiments can perform scheduling of irrigation betweenzones for optimal irrigation efficiency. The scheduling can be based ona variety of considerations including, e.g., available water pressureand constraints defined by the end user including, e.g., zoneprioritization based on crop importance.

A remote wireless monitoring and control system for irrigation inaccordance with one or more embodiments includes a distributed controlcapability. Rather than one central controller or a server managing theirrigation control, distributed wireless sensor and/or control nodes runsoftware that can execute the control decisions based on predeterminedrules or schedule.

In a wireless climate and soil monitoring and control system inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, climateparameters (temperature, light, humidity, soil moisture, and leafwetness etc.) measured by the sensors are stored in a server computer ata remote central location. Management and data storage on a centralserver as described herein reduces costs for the end users and makes theinstallation and remote management of the climate monitoring and controlsystem easier. Remote control commands or control condition set valuessent through the central server (from a cell phone or any computer onthe Internet) are transmitted to wireless sensor nodes in the greenhouseor field, allowing manual and/or automatic control functionality.

In a system in accordance with one or more embodiments, data istransmitted from the sensor network to the main server computer throughcellular or satellite networks or using broadband communicationtechnology. In this manner, data coming from multiple sensor networks(sites) is consolidated and stored in a central computer server and thenmonitored/managed remotely through web, cell phone, or text message(SMS) applications.

A system in accordance with one or more embodiments allows monitoringclimate conditions (temperature, humidity, light etc.) and controllingclimate control systems inside the network by sensor nodes. In addition,it addresses how data collected by multiple sensor networks are storedin a central server and how control commands passing through this serverare processed to manage the climate.

In a system in accordance with one or more embodiments, data istransferred from sensor networks to the central server through acellular network or a wireless broadband communications technology. Datacoming from a plurality of sites (local sensor networks) areconsolidated and stored in the central computer server. Climatemeasurements taken are provided to the end users through web, cellphone, and/or text message (SMS, MMS, etc.) applications. Moreover, thesystem enables remote control commands to be sent to the irrigationsite.

In one or more embodiments, climate parameters (temperature, humidity,light, soil moisture and leaf wetness etc.) can be continuouslymonitored and, for undesired values, automatic preventive actions can betaken before the products are harmed. For example, when flow sensorsdetect leakage excessive water on a pipeline, actuators can trigger thepump to shut down or main line solenoid valves to cut the water supply.Also, for any readings beyond pre-defined thresholds, the end user canbe notified, e.g., by a short message (SMS, MMS, etc.) to his or hercell phone or via e-mail.

In accordance with one or more further embodiments, the computer serveranalyzes soil condition data received from the wireless sensor networkand generates recommended upper and lower threshold values for startingand stopping irrigation. The computer server can recognize trends insoil moisture graphs or from moisture data and alert the user ifconditions are unsatisfactory (e.g., if the area is over or underirrigated or if the soil moisture level is saturated) or if the rootsare active and healthily pulling water from the soil. The user has theoption of accepting or modifying the recommended values generated by thecomputer server.

Systems in accordance with one or more embodiments can be easilyinstalled in open fields, landscapes, and greenhouses due to use ofwireless and battery powered components. This reduces wiring costs andpollution. At the same time, since no computer system is installedwithin the site, the total system cost is reduced and maintenance ismade easier.

An irrigation system in accordance with one or more embodiments providesa controlled irrigation and production environment that increasesproductivity in agricultural environments, reduces losses occurringbecause of frost and various diseases, and improves quality. One elementof building such an environment is an automation system. Usingautomation systems, the climate within a greenhouse can be kept atgenerally ideal conditions for the plants, and irrigation within thegreenhouse or open fields can be optimized based on crop needs therebyachieving generally maximum production performance. Systems inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention makeagricultural automation and irrigation control affordable, easy to use,and provide flexibility of use.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, nodes of the wireless sensornetwork can operate in sleep mode to reduce battery consumption. Sensornodes wake up at certain time periods and listen to the signals to seeif there is any data sent to them. If there is a signal with dataaddressed to them, they process the data or forward it to another nodeand then go to a sleep mode again by turning off their RF transmitterand receiver. Likewise, in certain periods, the sensor nodes takemeasurements and send it to either the main gateway (base station) or tothe neighbor node with best data link quality. They then go back to asleep mode after the transmission. A multi-hop structure (meshnetworking) used in the sensor network increases the energy efficiencyby keeping the RF signal power at lower levels. In addition toincreasing energy efficiency by sending the data through other nodesacross short distances, sensor nodes can easily extend the totalcoverage area with this structure.

With a mesh network structure in accordance with one or moreembodiments, every node shares the information it has with all othernodes. This way, nodes can synchronize critical data among each otherand can run control commands based on collaborative data.

Remote wireless climate, environmental, and soil monitoring and controlsystems in accordance with various embodiments thus provide a number ofadvantages. The systems provide improved scalability and reliability.The systems can allow usage of significantly larger number of sensorunits. The systems can achieve high accuracy and micro-climatization,and address data reliability concerns due to soil variation. The systemscan allow monitoring multiple irrigation zones and small plant groupsand controlling the environment and irrigation accordingly. The systemscan allow remote management of climate and soil monitoring and controlsystem through Internet, cellular phone and/or SMS or MMS applications.The systems can reduce system and management costs for the end user. Thesystems can consolidate and store measurements coming from multiplesensor networks (at respective sites) on a central computer server. Thesystems can sense climate, environmental, and soil conditions(temperature, humidity, soil moisture etc.) and to control climate orirrigation systems in the network with the sensor nodes. The systems canenable wireless communication, monitoring, and management from fardistances. The systems can enable the usage of a multi-hop dynamicnetwork or mesh network structure. The systems can enable remotemonitoring and control of wireless sensor networks in landscapes, openfields and greenhouses via a central computer server. The systems canreduce cable pollution and installation difficulties. The systems canprovide capabilities to automatically prevent or reduce damages toplants from undesired climate values (temperature, humidity, light etc.)or irrigation inefficiencies. The systems can increase productivity inagricultural environments. The systems can prevent or reduce losses dueto frost and various diseases. The systems can create a controlledproduction environment in order to increase product quality. The systemscan achieve significantly improved production performance.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture of a wireless climatemonitoring and control system for an irrigation/climate control site(e.g., greenhouse, open field, or landscape) 10 in accordance with oneor more embodiments of the invention. The system includes a wirelesssensor network 12 having a plurality of sensor and/or control nodesinstalled in the site 10. FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplarywireless sensor network 12 in greater detail. The sensor network 12includes sensor nodes S1-S16, which form an ad-hoc (i.e., dynamic)wireless sensor network and monitor climate, environmental, and soilconditions and collect measurements. The sensor nodes S1-S16 send thesemeasurements to a central computer server 14 through a communicationsnetwork 16 such as a cellular network (e.g., GPRS, Edge, UMTS etc.) or awireless wideband network (e.g., WiMAX).

The central computer server 14 receives measurements and other data froma plurality of sites. The measurements/data collected from member sitesare stored in a database on the central server 14. End users can accesscollected data over a web page on a device such as a personal computer18 over the Internet 22 or through a cell phone application 20. The endusers can use the same applications to send commands to the sensor nodesS1-S16 to trigger actuators for irrigation and/or climate controlsystems (e.g., heating, ventilation, misting units etc.) and providemanual and/or automatic remote control capability.

The sensor nodes S1-S16 installed in the site 10 support multiple sensorprobes for measurements. These sensor probes include, but not limitedto, ambient temperature and humidity, soil moisture, temperature and EC,solar radiation, leaf wetness, wind and rain.

The sensor nodes S1-S16 installed in the site 10 transfer the data theycollect to a main gateway/base communication node 24 by relaying thedata through other sensor nodes S1-S16 known as neighbor nodes. Thesensor nodes S1-S16 identify their neighbor nodes based on signalquality. In particular, the sensor nodes S1-S16 identify nodes thatprovide the best quality data transfer link and transfer data throughthe neighbor with which the best quality data transfer link can beestablished. The neighbor node, which is used as a bridge, is calledparent node. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, any node that receivesdata from another node is a parent node. For example, node S13 is theparent of node S16, and node S10 is the parent of node S13.

If there is a communication problem between a sensor node and itsparent, the sensor node starts to use one of its other neighbors as itsparent node. In this way, the sensor network 12 reconfigures or healsitself dynamically. Hence sensor nodes S1-S16 can easily be relocated todifferent spots in the site.

End users can operate devices such as a cell phone 20 having a cellphone application or short text message communication application or apersonal computer 18 having a web application to facilitatecommunication with the central server 14 and retrieve information fromthe central site information and measurement database.

The wireless sensor network 12 includes a plurality of sensor nodesS1-S16, which have sensing (e.g., temperature, solar radiation,humidity, soil moisture, electrical conductivity etc.), processing andcommunication capabilities and can be battery operated and solarpowered. The network 12 is generally used to monitor the environment andinteract with the physical world.

The wireless sensor network 12 also includes a main gateway/basecommunication (root/sink) node 24, which is the main communicationdevice where all data is collected and from which the data istransferred to the central computer server 14.

The central server or main computer 14 collects data from all membersensor networks. The central computer also distributes various data tomember sensor networks. A software program that collects and processesdata through Internet protocols such as TCP or UDP, and a database runson this computer.

The climate, environmental, and the soil conditions in the site aremonitored and controlled by using wireless sensor and control nodesS1-S16. Sensor nodes S1-S16 form an ad-hoc (dynamic) network as soon asthey are installed in the site. Sensor nodes share collected sensorinformation (temperature, humidity, light, soil moisture, EC, PH, andCO₂ etc.) with each other and transmit to main gateway 24.

Communication between the wireless sensor network 12 in the site and thecentral server 14 is established by using, e.g., GPRS, Edge, 3G, UMTS orsimilar technologies over cellular network 16 or a wireless broadbanddata communication service such as WiMAX. Main gateway device 24includes hardware for communicating with the wireless sensor network 12at the site and the cellular network 16.

Data coming over the cellular network 16 is collected and transferred tocentral server 14 using the Internet 22 by using Internet protocols suchas, e.g., TCP and/or UDP by the cell phone operator.

The central main server 14 is the central computer system wheremeasurement data from various sites is collected and served to end usersthrough the Internet 22 or by cell phone 20. At the same time, end usersinitially transfer the queries they will be sending to sites or systemparameters like control conditions to the main server 14. Main computerserver 14 transfers this information to the network in the site throughchannels as described below in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The system provides network management and monitoring capability throughcell phones 20. End users can query the sensor readings inside thenetwork by sending short text messages (SMS) or by using a clientapplication installed on their cell phone 20. At the same time, endusers can activate various climate control systems such as heating,ventilation, or misting through their cell phones 20 and ask for textmessage alerts to be delivered to their cell phones 20.

The system also provides network management and monitoring capabilitythrough a web enabled device 18. Data collected on sensor networks 12 isstored in a central database. Using a web application, this data isprocessed and served to the customer. At the same time, commands can besent to nodes S1-S16 in the network 12 through this web application 18.Access to web application 18 is preferably restricted to end users orother users who are authorized by the owner.

One or more embodiments of the invention are directed to setting up awireless sensor network 12 in the site and sensor node features andplacement techniques.

Wireless sensor nodes S1-S16 can be placed some distance apart, e.g.,with a distance of 30 m to 2000 m between each other. Depending on thestructure of the greenhouse or the open field terrain, the constructiontype/material or the type of the product produced and otherobstructions, this distance can be shorter or longer. If nodes see eachother, this helps them to get better quality signals. Placement ofsensor nodes in the site can be adjusted by looking at the signal linkquality between nodes and parent information for each node by using theweb application 18. If there is no sensor measurement flow from one nodeto the other, this may indicate that the nodes are not within eachothers coverage areas. When this is the case, the node outside coveragearea of the other should be moved closer. Sensor nodes can easily befixed to poles using, e.g., cable ties, U-bolts or clamps.

Wireless sensor nodes with integrated dry contacts (relays) can be tiedto solenoid valves and climate control systems operating withelectricity such as vents, fans, heating, heat curtains, shade curtains,misting, cooling pads, or alarm bell to provide control capability.

A remote wireless climate and soil monitoring and control systemdeveloped in accordance with various embodiments of the invention canhave one or more of five main process flows: (a) data collection andalarm message transfer process, (b) data query process, (c) controlcondition dissemination and control mechanism execution process, (d)irrigation scheduling and optimization process, and (e) irrigationschedule dissemination and execution process. Detailed explanations forthese processes are provided below with respect to the flow diagrams ofFIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. It is understood that additional processflows may be provided in other embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates the data collection and alarm message transferprocess flow. Wireless sensor nodes S1-S16 are preferably programmedbefore they are installed at the irrigation site. During theprogramming, each sensor node takes a unique serial id and eachsite/network is assigned a unique code. The same sensor nodes S1-S16 arealso addressed with a number for easy recognition at the site. Theserial numbers used are unique and all sensor nodes S1-S16 havedifferent numbers from each other. However, addresses need only beunique within the wireless sensor network 12 for a particular site. Forexample, a sensor node with address “1” can exist in more than onewireless sensor network 12 (or site). In this way, during disseminationdata can be sent to the right address, and during collection the sourceaddress of the incoming data can easily be identified.

After installation at the irrigation site, the sensor nodes S1-S16discover the closest and most reliable path to the base communicationnode (root) 24 and form an ad-hoc (dynamic) network as shown in step(A1). Those nodes that do not have a direct communication link to thebase node 24 discover routes to transfer data through other neighboringnodes. During route selection, signal quality and the number of nodes inthe route are considered. Sensor nodes S1-S16 periodically (atpredefined intervals) measure soil and environmental climate conditionssuch as soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and light as shown in step(A2). Sensor nodes S1-S16 that take measurements transfer their data tothe base node 24 according to the route they discovered in step A1 atstep (A3). Base communication node 24 transfers the data it collectsfrom the network to the main server 14 through cellular network orwideband wireless network 16 at step (A4). Data transferred from basecommunication node 24 to the cellular connectivity terminal is stored inbuffer memory to protect losses against communication failures orshortages. The main server 14 processes all the data coming from sensornetworks 12 and stores them in the database at step (A5). A softwareprogram running on main server 14 compares incoming data to alarmconditions at step (A6). If an alarm situation exists, depending on thetransfer medium determined at step (A7), either an e-mail at step (A8)or a short text message (SMS) at step (A9) is sent to the end user.

FIG. 4 illustrates the data query process flow in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the invention. The end user can query the sensorreadings from the wireless sensors in the site via cell phone 20 or Webdevice 18 at step (B1). For this process, end users can use their cellphones 20 to send short text messages (SMS) or to query via a clientapplication installed on the cell phone 20 or use the web site. Afterreceiving the query, the main server 14 processes it to understand thecontent at step (B2), and prepares the appropriate answer at step (B3).Depending on the query method or medium, the main server 14 decides withwhich of the following methods to transfer the answer in step (B4). Themain server 14 can send the answer to the end user as a short textmessage (SMS) at step (B5). Alternately, the main server 14 can send theanswer to the end user as a web page at step (B6). The main server 14can also send the answer to the end user as a screen to be displayed onthe cell phone application at step (B7).

FIG. 5 illustrates a control condition dissemination process flow inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. By using thedry contact outputs on main gateway device 24 or the sensor nodesS1-S16, climate control systems operated with electricity, e.g., thosehaving motors such as misting, vents, heating, and curtains and solenoidvalves can be controlled. For automatic control, various controlconditions can be defined in the system. Climate control systems,solenoid valves and/or pumps are activated or deactivated as a result ofcomparison of control conditions against the measurements taken by thesensors local to the related device or attached to other sensor nodesS1-S16 in the network. Control conditions can be evaluated according tothe following parameters:

(K1) Sensor Type (e.g., soil moisture, temperature, humidity, light):Defines against which sensor readings the control conditions will becompared.

(K2) Minimum Condition (Set) Value: Defines below what value the controlwill be activated (start) (K4 b) or deactivated (stop) (K4 a).

(K3) Maximum Condition (Set) Value: Defines above what value the controlwill be activated (start) (K4 a) or deactivated (stop) (K4 b)

(K4) Start Condition: (a) When the measurement is above the maximumcondition value, the control is activated (started). When it falls belowthe minimum condition value, the control is deactivated (stopped). (b)When the measurement is below the minimum condition value, the controlis activated (started). When it goes above the max condition value, thecontrol is deactivated (stopped).

(K5) Work Duration: Dry contact stays active (i.e., on or working) forthis duration. If zero (0), it stays active as long as the controlcondition is set.

(K6) Stall Duration: After working for work duration, dry contact stalls(i.e., off or not working) for stall duration. If zero (0), dry contactonly works (i.e., stays active or on) for work duration (K5) and thenbecomes inactive even if the control condition is set.

(K7) Action Type: Defines what type of action to be taken if the controlcondition is set. (a) Control dry contact output; (b) Notify anothersensor node.

(K8) Dry Contact No: For (K7 a) case, defines which dry contact outputto be controlled.

(K9) Node Address/Number to Be Notified: For (K7 b) case, defines whichsensor node to be notified if the control condition is set.

(K10) Synchronization Status: Indicates whether the control system willbe controlled in synchronization with events and/or measurements fromother sensor nodes.

(K11) Synchronization Number: If synchronization is used (K10), relatedsensor nodes use the common synchronization number.

(K12) Condition-in-Effect Start Time: Start time for the time intervalof the day when the condition will be active.

(K13) Condition-in-Effect End Time: End time for the time interval ofthe day when the condition will be active.

Based on the parameters described above, the control condition isentered through the web page or cell phone 20 at step (C1) shown in FIG.5. The main server 14 prepares these parameters to be transferred to thewireless sensor network 12 at step (C2). Prepared data is transferredfrom main server 14 to the main gateway device 24 through cellularnetwork or wireless wideband network 16 and Internet 22 at step (C3).The main gateway device 24 sends control conditions to the sensor nodesthrough dissemination at step (C4). If the receiving nodes realize thecondition is addressed for themselves, they store the condition in theirinternal memories and start checking them at step (C5). Related nodetransfers the acknowledgement (ACK) message to the main server 14 viamain gateway device 24 to indicate successful reception at steps (C6,C7). If the main server 14 receives the acknowledgement message, itcompletes the operation. Otherwise, it assumes that the controlcondition has not reached to the node and retransmits it to the network12 at step (C8).

FIG. 6 illustrates a control mechanism execution process flow inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

The sensor nodes that store control conditions in their internal memoryperiodically take measurements to evaluate control conditions at step(D1). If a taken measurement satisfies (sets) control condition at step(D2, D3), the action to be taken is checked at step (D9). At step D3,the time of the day is also compared to the control condition-in-effecttime interval (starts at K12 and ends at K13). As a result of the setcontrol condition, if a sensor node is to be notified, a notification issent to the related node to tell the condition is set at step (D10). Ifan internal dry contact output of the sensor node is to be controlled,then the related output is activated, and this way the connected controlsystem is started at step (D11). If the control condition is not set instep D3, whether the control condition is active at that moment ischecked at step (D4). If active, whether the measurement is below themin condition value or above the max condition value is checked at step(D5). At step (D5), also the time is compared to the condition-in-effecttime interval. Even if the condition is not reversed, if the time ispast condition-in-effect end time (K13), the flow progresses to step(D6). If (K4 a) is entered in the control condition and the measurementis below min condition value or if (K4 b) is selected and themeasurement is above the maximum condition value, process flow goes tostep at step (D6—check action to be taken). Depending on the action tobe taken at step (D6), either the sensor node entered in K9 is notifiedat step (D7) or the dry contact output entered in K8 isdeactivated/cleared at step (D8).

FIG. 8 illustrates the irrigation scheduling and optimization processflow in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

At step (E1), the server calculates/projects the irrigation schedule forthe season or the growth period based on ET values of last year'sweather information (historical data—on-site or nearby weather stations)for the site and site specific information such as crop type and soilmixture and the growth period (e.g., blooming, pre-harvesting etc.). Forexample, the water balance approach can be used for scheduling theirrigation. When the schedule is first created or any time it isadjusted, it is optimized for a given watering window (e.g. water mayonly be available during certain times of the day and/or certain days ofthe week). The server optimizes/adjusts the irrigation schedule for agiven period of time based on a past period of time at step (E2). Inthis example, the irrigation schedule is adjusted for the next 7 daysbased on last 7 days' ET calculations on a daily basis. (This durationcould be different time periods, e.g., 3 days or 5 weeks etc.)

Then, server checks if the soil moisture measurement optimization isenabled (E3). If it is enabled (E4), the server optimizes the remainingirrigation schedule based on soil moisture sensor readings. If thedifference between actual soil moisture readings and the predicted soilmoisture levels based on the ET calculations is greater than apredefined threshold number, the server modifies the schedule to matchthe actual soil moisture readings.

If the soil moisture optimization is not turned on, the server checks ifthe actual flow data optimization enabled at step (E5). If it isenabled, the server optimizes the irrigation schedule for the next 7days based on actual irrigation data on the past 7 day period at step(E6). In this way, any irrigation deficiency is addressed from theprevious time period (e.g., 7 days).

At step (E7), server checks if weather forecast optimization is enabled.If it is enabled, at step (E8), the server looks at the public orprivate weather forecast data and decides if the schedule should bemodified (e.g., delayed) for a given rain amount and probability bycomparing the thresholds defined by the user. After the scheduling andoptimization is complete, the server sends next 7 days' schedule to thecontrol nodes at the site on a daily basis at step (E9). This processgoes back to (E1) if the end of season or the growth period is reached(E10) or back to (E2).

In some embodiments, the wireless sensor nodes have the capability tocontrol solenoid valves or pumps, i.e., they may be sensor and controlnodes. They can be connected (wired or wirelessly) to battery orelectricity operated valves to turn them on and off. In this way, thecontrolling capability is distributed in the network without wires (nowires for communication and no wires for electricity as the nodes arebattery operated). Thus in some embodiments, there is no need for acentral controller to control operation of valves and pumps.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an irrigation schedule disseminationprocess in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

At step (F1), an irrigation schedule is generated/adjusted by the serveras illustrated in FIG. 8. The schedule for the following time period(e.g., 7 days) is sent to the network through main gateway on a dailybasis (or other appropriate frequency) at step (F2). The main gatewaydisseminates the schedule in the network at step (F3). The relatedwireless control node receives and stores the schedule, e.g., in aninternal flash memory at step (F4). At steps (F5 and F6), the nodeacknowledges (ACK) the server about receiving and storing the schedulethrough main gateway. At step (F7), if the server doesn't receive theACK, the process goes back to step (F2) to resend the schedule. Once theschedule is successfully stored in the node, the server sends periodicalupdates on the schedule to the node at step (F8).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the irrigation scheduling executionprocess in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

At step (G1) the control node checks its local time and compares it tothe schedule condition and decides when to turn the valve on or off. Ifit is time to turn on a closed valve (G2), it turns on that particularvalve at step (G4) and notifies the server about that event through maingateway at step (G6). If it is time to turn off an open valve (G3), itturns off that particular valve at step (G5) and notifies the serverabout that event through main gateway at step (G6).

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a remote wireless monitoringand control system in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention. The remote server 50 provides end-users access to one or moresites 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., for which the given user is authorized.Typically, users access the server 50 from remote user devices, such asa notebook or laptop computer 56, desktop computer 58 or mobile computerdevice 60, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. User devices canconnect to the server 50 via the Internet 52 and/or other network (e.g.,local or wide area networks). The server 50 is communicationally coupledto devices (e.g., gateway 66) at the various site via the Internet 52,wireless network 54 (e.g., a cellular or satellite network) and/or otherwired or wireless network. At any given site, there may be one or moresensor nodes or devices 4 and/or control nodes or devices 6, controllersor elements. These devices are separately illustrated, however, it isunderstood that a device may include both sensor and controlfunctionality. For example, item 70 illustrates a sensor node 4 and aseparate adjacent control node 6 that cooperates with the given sensornode 4. Item 70 may also illustrate that the device or node 70 isfunctionally both a sense node 4 and a control node 6. A sensor node ordevice (e.g., node 4) is coupled to a sensor and receives sensor data. Acontrol node or device (e.g., node 6) is coupled to and controls atleast a portion of the irrigation or climate system, e.g., at least onenode (e.g., control node 6) is coupled to an irrigation valvecontrolling the flow of water therethrough. It is understood that thenumber of devices at a given site depends on the needs of the irrigationsite, e.g., a given site may have 1-n devices, each having sensor and/orcontrol functionality. Further, the server 50 may communicate with localdevices at the site through the gateway 66 or other router or networkadapter. Furthermore, although all communication paths within the siteare illustrated as wireless paths, one or more may be wired connections.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating another remote wirelessmonitoring and control system in accordance with one or more embodimentsof the invention. The diagram of FIG. 12 is a more generic version ofthe diagram of FIG. 11. At any given site, there may be one or moresensor devices 62 and/or control devices 64, controllers or elements.These devices are separately illustrated, however, it is understood thata device may include both sensor and control functionality. At least onenode or device (e.g., device 64) is coupled to a sensor and receivessensor data. At least one node or device is coupled to and controls atleast a portion of the irrigation or climate system, e.g., at least onenode (e.g., control device 64) is coupled to an irrigation valvecontrolling the flow of water therethrough. In some cases, a given nodeor device is a control only device or the node or device is a sensoronly device. In other cases, a given node device is both a sensor deviceand control node device. It is understood that the number of devices ata given site depends on the needs of the irrigation site, e.g., a givensite may have 1-n devices, each having sensor and/or controlfunctionality. Further, the server 50 may communicate with local devicesat the site through a gateway 66 or other router or network adapter, orotherwise communicate directly with the devices without passing throughthe gateway 66.

Thus, in a general sense, the various methods and systems describedherein are applicable to a variety of irrigation and/or climatemonitoring and/or control systems, such that authorized users areprovided remote access to information from the system/s and/or toremotely control the system/s via interaction with a configurable userinterface provided by a server system, such as server 50 (or server 4),in communication with the local system/s. Typically, the server iscoupled to a wide area network accessible by the remote users, e.g.,coupled to the Internet. The server 50 stores user information, userlogin and authorization information and system information for manyirrigation and/or climate monitoring and/or control systems located atvarious sites. The server 50 manages access to such sites allowing usersonly to get access to those systems and sites that the particular useris so authorized, and is not provided access to those systems and sitesthat the user particular user is not so authorized. Further details of aconfigurable user interface allowing remote user access to view dataand/or control devices or nodes at one or more sites that a user is soauthorized is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/532,557 filedJun. 25, 2012 and entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IRRIGATION ANDCLIMATE CONTROL, and in U.S. application Ser. No. TBD, filed Mar. 15,2013, entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IRRIGATION AND CLIMATE CONTROL,both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The following processes may be applicable to any of the systemsdescribed herein or in other irrigation and/or climate monitoring and/orcontrol systems.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a clock synchronization processbetween a remote server and a local device at a given site in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the invention. At (H1), the server(e.g., server 14, 50) periodically sends the correct time to at leastone local device (e.g., gateway 66) at a given site. For example, theserver knows what time zone the given site is in, and sends the correcttime for that time to the gateway. The period of this synchronizationmay vary depending on the implementation. At step (H2), the gatewayreceives the correct time and compares the received time against itsclock. If the gateway time is within a given window about the servertime (H3), the gateway keeps its time and does not make any changes(H4). If the gateway time is outside of the given window about theserver time (H3), the gateway saves the received server time as it newgateway time (H5). Next, the gateway sends a clock update to the otherlocal devices (e.g., sensor and/or control nodes or devices), whichoverwrite their time with the new gateway time. It is understood thatthe given window or margin about the server time that will trigger step(H5) will vary depending on the implementation and the need for accuracyin the synchronization. In some embodiments, the given window may bebetween 1 and 100 minutes.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a clock synchronization processbetween local devices at a site in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the invention. At steep (I1), the various devices ornodes send their time or clock to the gateway as part of the regulardata packet/s sent to the gateway. Thus, a separate clock data signal isnot needed. For example, in some embodiments, all data communicationsfrom a given node to the gateway includes the time stamp of the node. Atstep (I2), the gateway compares the received node time against itsclock. If the node time is within a given window about the gateway time(I3), the gateway does not make any changes to the node time (I4). Ifthe node time is outside of the given window about the gateway time(I3), the gateway sends its time to the node (I5) and the node saves thereceived gateway time as it new node time (I6). Again, it is understoodthat the given window or margin about the gateway time that will triggerstep (I5) will vary depending on the implementation and the need foraccuracy in the synchronization.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a schedule adjustment recommendationprocess in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. Inthese embodiments, generally, the server (or alternatively a localsensor and/or control device) can determine new irrigation or climatecontrol schedules and/or schedule adjustments. For example, such newschedules or adjustments may be based on weather data, such as ET data,taking into account irrigation that has occurred and/or any otherparameters described herein or otherwise understood in the art. In theseembodiments, users remotely accessing a given site are provided accessto recommended new schedules and/or schedule adjustments and given theopportunity to accept or reject them, or make other manual adjustmentsgiven the recommendation.

For example, in the exemplary process of FIG. 15, the server (e.g.,server 14, 50, or alternatively and other sensor or control device ornode) determines a new schedule or a schedule adjustment (J1). Theschedule or adjustment is not automatically implemented, rather theschedule or recommendation is presented to the user. For example, theserver causes the display of the recommended schedule or adjustment tothe remote user via a user interface displayed at the remote device(e.g., devices 56, 58, 60) (J2). Such user interface may be displayed asserved by the server (e.g., using HTML pages), or may generated by alocal application running on the remote device and receiving data fromthe server. An example, may be that given the weather for the pat x daysand the current weather at the site, and given the amount of recentirrigation at the site and currently scheduled irrigation, it isrecommended that irrigation of y minutes/hours occur on z day/s (or thatruntimes be reduced/increased by y minutes/hours on z day/s. The servermay be able to calculate such values where user input valve andirrigating device flow rates. Accordingly, in some embodiments, therecommendation is a new schedule defining watering days and runtimes(and optionally start times, cycle and soak periods, etc.). In otherembodiments, the recommendation is a recommended increase or decrease inrun times for given day/s, or the elimination of irrigation on a givenday.

Since the schedule or recommendation is not automatically implemented,the user or grower has several options available. In some embodiments,the user accepts the recommended new schedule or adjustment (J3) and theserver sends the new schedule or adjustment to the node/s or device/s atthe site that will implement the recommendation (J4). For example, toaccept, the user may click to accept and execute the recommendation. Asa further option, the user rejects the recommended new schedule oradjustment (J5) and not changes are made or sent from the server (J6).For example, to reject, the user may click to reject the recommendationand the server stores the rejection. As a further option, in someembodiments, the user may reject or otherwise ignore the recommendation,but otherwise manually inputs a new schedule or schedule adjustment viathe user interface and/or directly at the control device/s (J7). Indoing, the user may choose between making manual adjustments (J7) and nochanges are sent to the node/s by the server (J8), or the user can makethe manual adjustments (J7) via the user interface and the server willsend those manual adjustments to the node/s (J9). In this way, the usercan make decisions factoring other information not considered in therecommendation. For example, perhaps the servers recommends an increasein irrigation, but the user knows that rain fall is forecast on thatday, and so the change is not implemented. This provides the user theability to accept the recommended guidance when it makes sense, but alsothe flexibility to not have such changes be fully automated so that theuser can factor in other consideration and otherwise apply the user'sknowledge of the site and its needs. This is in contrast to knowautomated weather adjusting control systems that automatically implementcalculated changes.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been describedabove in terms of particular embodiments, the foregoing embodiments areprovided as illustrative only, and do not limit or define the scope ofthe invention. Various other embodiments, including but not limited tothe following, are also within the scope of the claims. For example,elements and components described herein may be further divided intoadditional components or joined together to form fewer components forperforming the same functions.

Method claims set forth below having steps that are numbered ordesignated by letters should not be considered to be necessarily limitedto the particular order in which the steps are recited.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for controlling irrigation controlsystems at a plurality of agricultural or landscape sites, comprising:at least one wireless node at each of the plurality of sites; a servercomputer system located remotely from the plurality of sites, saidserver computer system communicationally coupled to each of the at leastone wireless node over a communications network for receiving data fromand controlling operation of the at least one wireless node at each ofthe plurality of sites, said server computer system also selectivelycoupled to a plurality of devices each operated by one of a plurality ofend-users over a communications network for transmitting the data to andreceiving remote control commands or queries from the plurality ofend-users, wherein the data transmitted to a given end-user correspondsto the site for which the given end-user has authorization; at least onegateway, at a location of each of the plurality of sites, fortransferring the data between the at least one wireless node and theserver computer system, wherein the server computer system transfers anirrigation schedule to the at least one wireless node of each of theplurality of sites for execution at each of the plurality of sites; andone or more of a web based application and a cell phone applicationconfigured to provide an end-user interface for monitoring the data fromthe at least one wireless node for which the given end-user has theauthorization and configured transmit control commands to the servercomputer system, wherein the server computer system is configured toreceive the control commands and transmit the control commands to the atleast one wireless node, wherein the at least one wireless node isconfigured to receive the control commands and control irrigation basedon the control commands.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said at leastone gateway disseminates control commands from the server computersystem to the nodes.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the servercomputer system communicates with the at least one node through theInternet or a cellular network.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein theserver computer system transmits measurements from at least one node toat least one of the plurality of end users via the Internet or acellular network.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computersystem responds to queries from at least one end-user with short textmessages (SMS), web pages, or screens to be displayed on the cell phoneapplication.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the irrigation controlsystem includes pumps, solenoid or other types of valves, or fertigationdevices.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one node at eachof the plurality sites form an ad-hoc dynamic wireless mesh sensornetwork, and wherein each node sends collected environmental, soil, orclimate measurements to the at least one gateway by relaying datathrough a neighbor node, and wherein the node identifies the neighbornode by determining which node can be used to establish the highestquality data transfer link.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein theneighbor node having the best quality link comprises a parent node thatis used as a bridge for sending data to the at least one gateway.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the data comprises environmental, soil, orclimate parameters include temperature, humidity, or soil moistureconditions.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communicationsnetwork for transferring the data between the at least one gateway atleast one node of the plurality of sites and the server computer systemcomprises a GPRS network, an Edge network, a 3G network, a UMTS network,a cellular network, a wireless broadband data communication service, orWiMAX.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless nodeat each of the plurality of sites is configured to compare receivedsensor measurements against at least one user-entered control condition,and control the irrigation accordingly, and wherein the at least oneuser-entered control condition is defined at the server computer systemby the given end-user using a respective device and is transferred fromthe server computer system to the at least one wireless node and storedin an internal memory of the at least one wireless node.
 12. The systemof claim 1, wherein the server computer system determines the irrigationschedule for a node at the site or particular zones at the site based onhistorical evapotranspiration (ET) data and information on crops or soilat the site.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server computersystem adjusts the irrigation schedule for a given period of time basedon ET data at the site for an immediate prior period of time.
 14. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the server computer system adjusts theirrigation schedule based on soil moisture readings from one or morenodes at the site.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the servercomputer system adjusts the irrigation schedule based on irrigation flowreadings from one or more flow nodes at the site.
 16. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the server computer system adjusts the irrigationschedule based on weather forecast information.
 17. The system of claim1, wherein at least one of the nodes communicate with and directlycontrol the operation of valves or pumps without a central controller.18. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computer system analyzessoil condition data received from at least one node and generatesrecommended upper and lower threshold values for starting and stoppingirrigation, and wherein an end-user of the system is provided with theoption of accepting or modifying the recommended values.
 19. The systemof claim 1 wherein the server computer system transmits a correct timefor a given site to the gateway of that site, and wherein the gatewaycompares its time against the received correct time, and accepts thecorrect time as a new gateway time in the event a differencetherebetween is outside of a given time window.